UCI to axe Ind. Pursuit from Olympics

[doddy13]

So the Individual pursuit is being axed from the olympics because of the IOC's equality rules.

Also going is: points, Scratch and Madison.

So we're left with Sprint, Keirin, Omnium, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint.

Very sprinters biased right?

 

[Irish2009]

First they axe the kilo and now this......really makes me wonder if the UCI ever talks to the fans/cyclists......If you look at UCI rule changes over the last 20years they have all been comercially driven and horendously applied.

 

[doddy13]

It beats me though, why?

Can't we just ask the IOC nicely again to add events. Anyway the way national federation voting goes, this is unlikely to go ahead unless the UCI becomes undemocratic (shock horror!). I can think of a few NOC's and Cycling Federations that won't want this. (Britain, America for starters)

 

[riobonito92]

Britain may not be too unhappy - more chances for Pendleton to get medals. And sprint events are much more exciting to watch than the pursuit. Pity about the madison though.

 

[kiwirider]

It beats me though, why?

Can't we just ask the IOC nicely again to add events.

I presume by IOC you mean some other organisation than the bunch of shameless money grabbers who are bringing golf and rugby sevens into the olympics? For all that one can justly criticise the UCI for being more interested in making money than the sport, they look like a benevolent charity in comparison to the IOC.

The IOC only have a certain number of sports that make up the olympics. They see the $$ from golf and think that, because the international rugby sevens circuit is a good money maker, it'll work for them too. (I think that they'll find that they're wrong on that one, but we'll see ...). They can't bin athletic events - always the biggest stadium, so a great money maker on that score, let alone the advertising dollars. Similarly the pool events, while smaller scale, attract good US advertising dollars - so they can't be axed. There's a bit much history around some of the really minor sports (equestrian, shooting) - and besides, that makes the IOC look like it's "truly supporting a wide range of sports". So, what else is there to cut? Cycling's been in the gun for years ... easy target ...

OK, so maybe that's a bit cynical - but I honestly don't think that I'm that far off beam ...

 

[Hooptie]

This blows. Team sprint? WTF? RIP endurance track racing, the World Cups will suffer.

 

[Hooptie]

And the Omnium? What's more painful (from a spectator perspective) than sitting through a series of flying 200's and two IP's?

 

[doddy13]

And the Omnium? What's more painful (from a spectator perspective) than sitting through a series of flying 200's and two IP's?

The Omnium is very boring, it would take less time to have no omnium but a few endurace track events, but heck the IOC/UCI is blind.

 

[pmsc111]

Raises a number of questions.

Will there be any forum for discussion on which events are to be chosen? Although it appears that the decision has already been made.

Do female rider numbers dictate that there should be parity? Or is that deemed irrelevant.

The CyclingNews article had responses from riders who were unnaffected by the changes or had since moved on. It would be more interesting interviewing riders directly affected such as Tayor Phinney and Jack Bobridge.

 

[movingtarget]

Scrapping Pursuit

Totally ridiculous. Maybe they will replace it with a unicyle race. The UCI should be scrapped. They are a useless organisation. For fans that follow track cycling, the individual pursuit is one of the prestige events like the 100 metres or 1500 in track and field.

 

[avanti]

I hate these proposed changes - they should be adding events - after all they are building a velodrome for the Olympics.

I was planning my 2012 vacation in London - No pursuit or points means I will take my vacation elsewhere.

 

[kiwirider]

Do female rider numbers dictate that there should be parity? Or is that deemed irrelevant.

I honestly believe that the gender parity/equality thing is a smokescreen from the UCI (and IOC) because they need some UCI policy to pin the changes onto.

I mean, IP and points are two of the three disciplines that have had both men's and women's events for the last few olympics. So, if you're looking to increase the level of gender parity, why do you cull events that are already "gender equal"???

To my mind - to paraphrase the saying, if it looks, smells and behaves like a rat (or fish or piece of bull***t), then it almost certainly is a rat ...

 

[pmsc111]

It's disturbing that there doesn't appear to be a body representing the interests of Track Cycling. These decisions are made without regard to Track Cyclings history or wellbeing.

 

[no_slipstream]

When the Kilo went it was to make way for bmx and an extra beach volley ball event There is a big difference in the physical traits needed to contest the kilo compared to these other so called sports.
Same with the omnium, it would be boring to watch and also you see events of a lower standard, the flying 200 times would be high 10's compared to the high 9's and 10.1's that the regular sprinters do. The IOC must be trying to destroy what was good format, even without the kilo. Not the first time a ruling body has been hell bent on stuffing up an already good sport. The parity thing is surely not the real reason.

 

[riobonito92]

Why have a team pursuit but no individual pursuit? How many countries actually contest the team event? At least with the individual pursuit there is a chance that a rider from a less dominant country may get a medal. Britain should remember that when they were completely useless at the team event (and everything else) Sturgess and Boardman could still shine. This point has to be even more true of women's events. There are, perhaps, six countries that could put out a decent women's team pursuit squad. This seems like a plot to stop anyone who is not from France/GB/Germany/Australia/Denmark/Russia/USA/New Zealand from ever getting a track medal. Compare that with athletics, or even swimming in which talented individuals from developing countries regularly get medals.

 

[oldavark]

This is appalling. The individual pursuit is the classic event of track cycling, along with the match sprint. It is indeed like removing the 100 meters or 1500 meters or decathlon from athletics.
As for the USA, our best bet in the team pursuit is still to enter Taylor Phinney by himself.

 

[ak-zaaf]

So the Individual pursuit is being axed from the olympics because of the IOC's equality rules.

Also going is: points, Scratch and Madison.

So we're left with Sprint, Keirin, Omnium, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint.

Very sprinters biased right?

They hate Cancellara


But really, I always thought that the Sprint and the Pursuit are THE track events.

 

[pmsc111]

The London Olympic velodrome has been budgeted at 105 million pounds! Why would you want to reduce events?

 

[ak-zaaf]

The London Olympic velodrome has been budgeted at 105 million pounds! Why would you want to reduce events?

....That's a real slap in the face. =/

 

[riobonito92]

Golf has been made an olympic sport - so no cycling on US TV in 2016, then.

 

[Cosette]

I keep on wondering what the motivations are behind the cuts in the track program... They keep on saying things about putting in the most internationally practiced sports, and this time about equal progams for men and women.... But I'm having doubts about that...

If I recall correctly, they previously cut the Kilometer in favour of MTB... Though MTB might deserve a place on the Olympic program, I don't see why they cut a track number... They're not that related...

And well... I hate seeing the Madison go.. I love watching the mayhem...

 

[riobonito92]

When I watch gymnastics, which I only ever do at the olympics, I wonder why there is a gold medal for the best "all-around" gymnast as well as separate medals for each discipline, ie one for beam, floor, vault, etc. I ask myself, "Why don't they just give one medal and be done with it." It seems like a gratuitous waste of medals to me.

Now, I am totally ignorant of gymnastics but I wonder if some people don't look at track cycling and think the same thing - how come a different medal for each event, why not just have an omnium and give the medal to the best rider at the end of the week? I do know a bit about track cycling and can see this is obviously a silly idea, but I'm not sure that the people making these decisions have a clue - they probably don't see the difference between going fast round a track 4 times as opposed to 16.

 

[avanti]

.............If I recall correctly, they previously cut the Kilometer in favour of MTB... Though MTB might deserve a place on the Olympic program, I don't see why they cut a track number... They're not that related.....................

They also cut out the womens 500 m TT in 2008.

They should reintroduce the 1000/500 m events plus some aditional events.

In the past there have been tandem sprints, 100 km motor paced, and even a 12 hour marathon in 1896. These would be impractical today on a 250 m track but add more scratch races (M and W) and maybe a devils race (always a crowd pleaser).

I'm sure tickets to track cycling will be a 100% sell out again.

Time to lobby the USCF and USOC.

 

[180mmCrank]

Wiggins slams olympic cycling program

For info...

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/br...ms-olympic-cycling-program-20091016-h16r.html

 

[Sprocket01]

For info...

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/br...ms-olympic-cycling-program-20091016-h16r.html

Thanks. It is a blow to Britain's medal table too. It's really stupid.